Bound Unbound: Lin Tianmiao at the Asia Society

In its exhibit of Chinese artist Lin Tianmiao's artwork, the Asia Society transforms its two floors into an impressively immersive panaroma of installations that creates an undeniably evocative experience. Even rooms that feature Lin's more two-dimensional pieces are curated in such a way that they feel deliberate and confrontational, but what really recommends the exhibit, Lin's first major solo show in the U.S., are her installations. Though her materials are certainly varied, she relies primarily on thread, silk, and fabric. There are plenty of contextual approaches to this motif -- it's ostensibly commentary on individuality, on femininity, on China itself -- but even devoid of such context, the material is aesthetically gripping. Especially through sculptures like the emaciated humanoids of Endless or through the fully designed chamber Mother's!!!, the preponderance on these household materials produces a remarkably sheen complicated by its ironically creepy sterility, by Lin's fascination with grotesque appendanges to the human form, and by a surreal bent reminisicent of David Lynch. One usually expects to recognize an artist's fascinations throughout his or her exhibit, but what makes Bound Unbound a notable show is that it manages to both aeshtetically cohere and offer entirely unique confrontational experiences in each room.